


You and Me and Us

by DonTheRock



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: 11.5, F/M, Fluff, Good Hair Crew (Andi Mack), I Love You, Marty from the Party, Requited Love, Road Trips, Romance, Straight Romance, Teen Romance, Teenagers, True Love's Kiss, Young Love, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-12-30 12:15:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18315086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DonTheRock/pseuds/DonTheRock
Summary: A "rekindling of romance" between two torn-apart lovers who are now being brought back together.Buffy and Marty had broken up when Marty had to move away. Two years later, he returns to Shadyside. After being paired up together for a class assignment, the two eleventh-graders are forced to face their past feelings and find out if there's still something left between them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Buffy's POV**

 

I stand with my friends outside Grant High School. TJ, Cyrus' boyfriend, has his arm around Cyrus as usual. It's become such a normal thing around here that nobody teases or bullies them anymore like they did when Cyrus and TJ first came to high school. Last year they were even voted cutest couple in the yearbook. 

"What do you think?" Andi asks. 

"Sorry, what?" Jonah responds, shaking out of whatever trance he was in.

"Were you even paying attention?" Andi says.

Jonah shrugs. "Sorry. The bus just got here."

We all look over to see what he was so mesmerized by. Our eyes land on Libby, who walks alongside two of her friends, laughing about whatever they're saying. I never learned sign language that well, but Jonah apparently knows what she's talking about. 

"She got a new dress yesterday and it was really expensive," Jonah tells us. 

"Don't eavesdrop," Andi tells him, pulling on his shoulder to get him to turn around back to us.

Andi and Jonah aren't together anymore, but the breakup was mutual, so the Good Hair Crew stayed in tact. Now they tend to act as a first screening for anyone the other person likes. Libby has apparently passed Andi's test, and now Jonah can't stop thinking about her. She's all he talks about, and frankly, it's kind of annoying. He didn't talk about her this much when they dated in grade eight. 

"Go talk to her," I say. 

He shakes his head. "She's with her friends."

I roll my eyes, but as I refocus them ahead of me, something in the distance steals my attention. 

"What is it?" Cyrus asks.

The group turns to spot what I'm seeing.  _He doesn't go here. He doesn't live here anymore. How is he here? Am I seeing this right?_

Andi whips back around to me. "Is that Marty?"

I feel my pulse speed up.  _I haven't seen him in two years. What do I do? Do I say hi? Do I pretend this is normal?_

Just then, he notices me and gives me a wave with a small smile, to which I wave back, my hand shaking slightly. 

"Are you okay?" TJ asks. 

Then the brown-haired boy begins walking in my direction. 

"Oh, crap," I whisper under my breath.

Suddenly, the heavens bless me with a gift: the bell rings. Marty glances away at the sea of teenagers flooding into the school, then back at me. He smiles once more before going to join the stream. I stare at him as he leaves, feeling my stomach stop twisting but now my head is racing; it's like my body has no idea what to feel, which is fitting because I sure as hell don't. 

"Buffy?" Andi says. "Are you coming to class?"

"Uh—yeah."

I shake my eyes away from where Marty disappeared into the building, and turn to follow my friends inside. 

________________________________________

I tap my pencil on my desk, making graphite marks on my notebook. I'll have to erase them afterward, but the repetitive motion helps calm my nerves, albeit it's annoying for everyone around me. Thankfully, there's only one person who sits near me, because I sit at the back corner of the room and the desk beside me is empty. The classmate who sits in front of me, Agnus, has learned to ignore my tapping. Either that or she's slowly getting more and more irritated until one day she explodes. 

"Alright, class," Mr. Turner, my photography teacher, says, stepping up to pull down the projector screen. "Get your notebooks out. I'm going to explain your first assignment."

All of a sudden, I hear a familiar voice and look to the doorway to see Marty standing there.

"Sorry, I'm late," he says. "I, uh, got lost."

"You must be Marty," my teacher says. "I'll let it go since it's your first day, but don't be late again."

Marty nods and shuffles over to take the only empty desk in the class—the one next to me. I brush my hair back as he approaches, feeling the nerves creep up again. He gives me a shy smile, keeping his eyes on me as he takes off his backpack and sits down. I smile back, then look away to focus on the teacher. 

"Okay, back to the assignment." He projects an image of the assignment guide onto the screen, which I gloss over as he speaks. "You will need to photograph at least five different settings. By that I mean five different places, each with its own unique atmosphere. These places don't have to have meaning, but they will be better if they do. You will then have to present them to the class, along with an explanation of what each photo is and why the photo was taken the way it was—this includes the angle, what the focus is, the details of foreground and background, the lighting, the colours and effects, etcetera. All of the questions to answer are on the assignment guide. You don't need to write them up, but you should have practiced your responses before your presentation. You are to do this project in groups of two."

Suddenly, the class perks up.

"I will choose your partners," he adds, and the class sinks back into their seats. Mr. Turner picks up his clipboard and begins listing names. "Agnus, you will be with Reed. Noor, you will be with Jack." He continues speaking, and I only start listening when I hear my name called. "Buffy, you are with Marty."

I glance over at my partner, who matches my gaze, then look back down at my notebook.  _Why him? Just looking at him makes me nervous._  A million feelings are hitting me like a tidal wave, and I have no idea how to deal with it.

After failing to focus for the entire class, the bell finally rings, sending the teens up out of their seats. I close my notebook and pick up my bag to go, but I'm stopped by a hand on my arm. 

"Hey," Marty says. 

"Hey," I respond. It takes me a moment to sort through what to say next. "How are you?"

"I'm good. How about you?"

"Fine," I answer. "Why are you back?"

"My dad's job transferred him back to Shadyside."

"That's good." I take another second to think. "Are you here to stay?"

He nods. "Should be. I hope."

I don't respond. I don't know how. 

"I missed you," he says, making my breath catch in my throat. 

"I missed you too."

He smiles. "Any chance we could hang out?"

"Well, I mean, we're doing a project together, so we kind of have to."  _Why'd I say that? That makes it sound like I don't want to be friends with him again. In all honesty, I don't know what I want to be to him._

"Oh, yeah, sure," he says. "I'll text you."

"Yeah," I say. "Okay."

He smiles once more before taking off out of the classroom, leaving me alone in a puddle of confusion. A second later, I collect myself enough to do the same, taking a breath before stepping into the crowded hallway.

______________________________________

"You can't ignore this," Cyrus says. 

He sits next to Andi on the couch across from my chair in the living room, attempting to figure out chopsticks as he eats his plate of Chinese food. Andi and I have accepted our failure with chopsticks and use forks like ordinary Western folk. I lean over to pick up another piece of ginger beef from the container of the coffee table before responding. 

"I think that's exactly what I'm going to do," I say. 

"Buffy, why are you so stubborn? Don't you want to be friends with him again?" Andi says.

I shrug, biting the beef. 

Cyrus and Andi share a glance, then Cyrus asks, "Do you still have feelings for him?"

"Why would I?" I argue. "We broke up two years ago."

"Yeah, but that was only because he had to move," Andi contests. "Buffy, you loved him."

I twirl my fork around in the noodles on my plate, silently pondering the question.

"I don't know how I feel anymore," I admit. "I missed out on two years of his life. He probably had other girlfriends in that time and loved them too. He's probably changed a lot since I knew him."

Suddenly, Andi gets a text and checks her phone. 

"My mom wants me home," she says. "Cyrus, do you need a ride?"

Cyrus nods, then looks at me. "Are you going to be okay?"

I nod as though it's obvious. "I'm fine. Just put your dishes in the dishwasher on your way out. I'm not going to clean up after you guys."

They try to grin at my joke but they can clearly see right through my facade. 

"Call me if you need anything," Andi says before going to put her dishes away with Cyrus. 

They wave on their way out the door. When they're gone, I shove another spoonful of rice in my mouth, trying to focus on that. When that doesn't work, I turn on the TV, flipping through the channels until I find Boy Meets World playing on ABC. Unfortunately, the episode playing is "The Grass is Always Greener," which is the episode where Cory and Topanga wrongfully break up. I shut off the TV and finish eating my dinner in silence. 

As I finish putting the leftovers in the fridge, I hear my phone beep and go over to check it. 

 **Marty From the Party:**  Come outside. 

Puzzled, I go over to peek through the blinds of the window and spot a gold Jeep Wrangler up against the curb in front of my house, it's engine still on. 

I close the blinds and rush to the door, stepping out into the warm evening sun of September. I race down the porch steps and up to the window of the passenger side of his car, which rolls down as I approach. 

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

He grins from the driver's side. "Getting a head start on our project. Hop in."

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"I'm taking you on an adventure," he says, the huskiness in his soft response making my heart flutter. 

I only need a second to think before responding, "Let me just grab my purse."


	2. Chapter 2

**Marty's POV**

 

She runs down the steps and up to my car. As she enters the vehicle, I notice the way the golden sunlight illuminates her smile. I didn't think it was possible, but somehow she got more beautiful since I last saw her. As I twist my key in the ignition, I wonder for a moment about if it's safe to drive with my heart pounding like this. I glance over at her, then back to the road.  _Who cares if it's safe? She's here and I want to spend every possible second I can with her._

As I shift the gear out of park and pull into the road, Buffy takes it upon herself to turn off my radio and plug her own phone into the aux cord. 

"You still do that?" I say with a laugh. 

"Of course," she says. "Anything else would be out of character." 

Hearing her laugh again makes me realize how much I've missed it. It feels like a part of myself is being restored.

She scrolls through her music, finally settling on a country song I recognize: "Wastin' Gas" by Dallas Smith. 

"Since when do you like country?" I ask. 

"Since I realized it's not actually as terrible as I thought it was."

"Eh, that's debatable," I tease. 

I can tell she wants to shove my shoulder, but she controls the urge, probably because I'm driving. Instead she just rolls her eyes.

"What about you?" she asks. "Do you still like that Garrett Shake whoever?"

"Garren Lake?" 

"Yeah."

"Yeah," I answer

"Yeah," she breathes once more. 

Out of the corner of my eye I can see her looking out the window at the buildings as we pass them. 

"What was it like in Portland?" she asks. "Did you have any friends? No, of course you had friends. Like, what were they like?"

I chuckle a little at the awkwardness of how she asked her question before answering, "I did have friends. They were cool."

"Do you miss them?"

"Nah," I reply. "See, right before I left, they started getting into some . . . not so great stuff."

"Ah, yes. I know that stuff."

"Exactly. I didn't want to do—well—that stuff, so I stopped hanging out with them."

"That sucks," she says. 

"Nah. Made it easier to leave."

I see her staring at me out of the corner of my eye, so when I stop at a traffic light, I turn to match her gaze only for her to avert her eyes immediately. 

"Did you have any girlfriends?" she asks me.

"Yeah," I respond.  _But none like you._

I had four, to be exact, but none of those relationships lasted more than a month. I just couldn't find anyone who made me feel the way she did. 

"Oh," she says. 

"Did you have any boyfriends?"

She shakes her head. "Not really. I went on a few dates, but . . . nothing ever felt right."

"I get that," I admit. 

There's a moment of silence between us, and she watches as we pass the sign that reads 'You are now leaving Shadyside.' 

"You're not taking me out to some remote area to kill me, right?" she asks with a chuckle.

I smile. "No."

"Then where are we going?"

"You have to be patient."

"Marty, when have you ever known me to be patient?"

I laugh at that. Hearing her say my name again gives me chills up my spine—another necessity I can't believe I've been living without.

"Buffy," I say, "do you trust me?"

She smiles from the passenger seat, her elbow propped up on the door. 

"Yeah, I guess I do," she replies. 

We drive a bit farther out until I find the destination and pull over off the road onto a dirt pathway. 

"Is it legal to park here?" Buffy asks as I turn off the engine. 

"Who knows?" I respond. 

I reach behind my seat for the large black camera I brought with me, and string the strap over my neck, letting it dangle down before getting out of the Jeep. I walk around to Buffy's side of the car and close the door for her after she steps out onto the dirt, her small grey purse strapped across her body.

"Why are we here?" she asks. 

"You ask a lot of questions," I say as I take her hand. 

I pull her along behind me, letting go once we reach a small hill covered in trees. I start up the incline and she follows. After sneaking through the barrier of foliage, I stand at the edge of the cliff, waiting for Buffy to see this.

"Where . . .?"

She halts and her jaw drops as she stares out at the sunset sky. Her eyes graze the horizon of hills and forestry. I hold up my camera and take a photo of the scenery. Spot number one is complete. 

"This is beautiful," she says. 

"Yeah. I used to come here as a kid," I explain. "My dad would bring me, my sister and my brothers up here sometimes to watch the sunset."

"I didn't know that," she says, turning to look at me. 

"There's a lot you don't know about me."

She holds my gaze for a moment until she notices something past me. 

"A rabbit!"

I laugh and spin around to watch her rush past me to get a better look at the animal. When she gets closer, it scurries off through the trees and she starts in the same direction. 

"Come on," she orders, and I follow along behind her. 

We descend the hill, letting the foliage encompass us in shade. At one point, her foot catches on a tree root and I catch her hand to keep her from tumbling. She grins as she regains her balance, stepping over the obstacle to continue forward. Eventually, we come to a small clearing in the trees. Sunlight peaks through the leaves and branches, which break up the orange glow into fractals scattered across the grass. The rays of light spot Buffy's hair and clothes, lighting up her soft figure.

As she stares up at the cracks of blue sky above the trees, I lift my camera up to my eye and snap a shot of her in this moment. I smile as I look at the picture, so enthralled that I flinch when she calls my name.

"Marty! This is amazing!"

I step toward her into the centre of the ring and look up at the object of her awe. Pink clouds drift across the sky like cotton candy. She turns her chin down again to match her eyes with mine, giving me butterflies in the process. Then she notices some light shining between the trees closer to the ground and starts in that direction. We come to the edge of the cliff again, but a different side of it from where we were before. She sits down on the grass and dangles her legs over the edge. I do that same, staring at her as she admires the view. After a moment, she notices my gaze.

"What are you looking at?" She says.

I smile and shake my head slightly. "Nothing."

I turn my eyes to the view in front of us, letting them flicker back to her once more.

_______________________________________

I pull up in front of her driveway and put the car in park. She glances at her house then back at me, waiting a moment before speaking. 

"I, um . . .  This was fun," she says. 

"Yeah," I agree. 

She keeps her eyes on me for a second longer before smiling and turning to exit the car. She stops as she's about to close the door to peak her head back in once more. 

"Hey, uh, I'm free all weekend," she mentions, "you know, if you wanted to work on the project some more."

I grin. "I'll be here tomorrow morning."

"Okay. I'll see you then."

She closes the door and steps across the grass to her front porch, turning to smile back at me one last time before disappearing into the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy flipping frogs, I freaking love this! I hope you are finding this to be as enjoyable as I am. I promise I have some really amazing scenes planned out, so look forward to that. Thank you so much for reading! I pick these songs carefully, so, if you can, definitely listen to the song when it starts playing in the book, because it adds something to the moment.


	3. Chapter 3

**Buffy's POV**

 

I yank the yellow T-shirt over my head and pull up my blue skinny jeans while I think about yesterday. _I liked seeing him. I really did. But do I still love him? I could just love who he used to be. I think I have to get to know him again before I can know how I feel._

Just as I'm about to go over to do my makeup, I get a text from Marty. 

 **Marty From The Party:**  You ready?

 **Buffy:**  Not yet. Come to the door.

I hurry down the hall to let him in. he smiles as he enters and takes off his shoes. 

"This place still looks the same," he says. 

"Yeah. It hasn't changed much."

"Where's your mom?"

"Work," I reply. "You can come to my room. I just need to finish doing my makeup."

He follows me back into my bedroom and sits down on my bed while I go over to the mirror above my dresser. I untwist my mascara tube and begin swiping it on my eyelashes. In the mirror, I can see Marty watching my movements. 

"You know you don't need makeup," he says. "You're beautiful without it."

I finish my other eye and spin around to face him. 

"I like it," I say. 

I sit the tube back on my dresser and go over to grab my purse and phone. 

"You ready?" I ask. 

He grins and stands up. "I'm always ready."

"Perfect," I respond. "Then let's go on an adventure."

I spin around and he follows me out of the house and to his car. He walks around to take the driver's seat and I get comfortable in shotgun. 

"I get to pick the place today," I say as I buckle my seatbelt. 

"Okay," he responds and settles his hands on the steering wheel. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

"How am I supposed to drive there if—?"

"I'll tell you when to turn."

His face cracks into a smile when he looks at me. "Okay."

I reach for the aux cord, but he stops me, saying, "Nuh-uh. If you're picking the place that means I get to pick the music."

"Fine," I say, crossing my arms and leaning back in my seat. 

He smiles and plugs his phone in, then presses play. I don't know the song, but the screen says it's "Rollercoaster" by Bleachers. 

"Ready?" He asks as he shifts the gear into drive.

I roll my eyes. "Still ready, yeah."

He chuckles and pulls out into the road. I pay attention as we drive, directing him at each corner. Eventually, we pass the town's outer limits and the buildings fade out of sight behind us, leaving just the road to split up the greenery in two. Close to half an hour passes of us just talking while he steers. 

Suddenly, the road bends down a bit, revealing an endless view of the landscape. I reach over to turn the volume of the music up, then roll down my window to hold my arm out like an airplane. The wind ripples my shirt and sends my hair flying. I look over at Marty who's smiling wide in the driver's seat. 

"Eyes on the road," I shout over the noise. 

He sighs and bites his lip as he complies, turning his focus away from me. 

After about another forty-five minutes, we reach the town I've been directing us to.  He pulls into a parking lot behind main street's buildings, and we both exit the car. Marty puts the camera strap over his head as he strolls around the vehicle to meet me. 

"What are we doing in Grisholm?" he asks. 

"I'll show you."

I take his hand and pull him along as I run down the sidewalk to the street corner. We both stop and stare for a moment when the sight comes into view. The whole street is crowded with people browsing through tables with colourful setups. 

"This is the Grisholm craft fair," I explain. "My mom took me here once when I was a kid. I never got the chance to come back. Until today."

As he stands in awe, I lift the camera off of his neck and take a photo of the busy street, then stuff it into my purse before grabbing his hand and dragging him forward. We look at each of the tables. The first one is a man who makes his own wooden clocks. I pick up one in the shape of a treble clef. 

"You like music?" I say to Marty. 

"Woah," he responds, taking it from my hands. "That's so cool."

"Why thank you," the man behind the table responds. "I hand carved it myself."

"Yo, that's insane."

The man looks offended by the comment.

"No, that's a compliment," Marty explains. 

The man shakes his head. "You gen Z and your modern diction confuse me sometimes."

Marty sits the clock back down on the table and we continue past a woman selling quilts and a man selling knitted plush octopi. Marty stops at a display of necklaces and points one out to me. The pendant hanging from the chain is an image of a hummingbird.

"This reminds me of you," he says. 

I raise an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Small but fast," he says with a grin and I give him a playful shove on the shoulder. 

Suddenly, something else catches his eye on the other side of the street and he wanders over to check that out. I stay at the jewelry table and look through the different pieces. My attention is captured by the sight of two small silver rings, each engraved with a tiny infinity symbol. The woman running the table notices my stare and stands up out of her chair. 

"Those are promise rings," she explains. "Not the super expensive kind, but a promise nonetheless."

"What are they for?" I ask.

"Well, they're for you to give to someone when you want to spend the rest of your life with them but you're not able to marry them yet, either because you can't afford it or sometimes because you're too young."

I look up at her to see her smiling at me. 

"That's nice," I say, "but I don't have anyone to give it to."

"Really? What about that boy over there?"

I actually consider it for a moment. Marty left for two years, but now he's back, and somehow I still like him—maybe even more than I did before. He's different now, yeah, but I think it's a good different. 

"We're not a couple," I tell the lady. 

"Sweetheart. I can spot young love from a mile away, and I'm almost certain you have it. Don't let that slip away from you."

She smiles kindly, but I just shake my head.  _We're not together anymore—as much as I wish we were._

"Okay, well, is there anything else you like?" she asks. 

I continue to scan the rest of the jewelry, finding a bracelet of many tiny gem palm trees connected by a chain. 

"I like this," I say, picking it up. "How much is it?"

"That's fifteen dollars," he lady says. 

I dig my hand into my purse to pull out my wallet and give her the cash. She smiles as she takes the money, then reaches for the bracelet. 

"Let me wrap that up for you," she says. 

As she folds it into a sheet of tissue paper, I hear cheering sound out behind me and turn to see Marty dancing in the middle of a circle of people. Two men are banging some kind of drums similar to bongos, accompanied by the strumming of a guitar by a third man. 

"Here you go," the lady says.

I turn around and take the small brown gift bag from her hand and tuck it into my purse. 

"Thank you."

Then I step over to join the ring of people around Marty. Now other people have begun dancing, most of them being couples swinging along to the rhythm of the music. As I approach, Marty notices me and comes over, taking my hands. 

"What are you doing?" I ask as he pulls me into the circle. 

"Dancing with you," he replies. 

He swings our arms back and forth, stepping along with them. It takes a while for him to crack me, but eventually I break and let him lead me around the circle to the beat of the drums. He spins me around a few times, and brings our arms up over our heads. Somehow I end up curling into him so that my back is against his chest and his head is against mine.  _This feels right. I didn't realize how much I missed this, but I was right earlier. He's not the same as he was before. He's better._

He lets me go as the song ends and the crowd applauds. I know I should probably let go of his hand now, but I don't. I want to stay locked with him. He doesn't seem to mind. With a grin, he pulls me over to another table at the fair. This one is scattered in bracelets made of wooden beads. I spot one that matches the red of his shirt and hold it up for him to see. 

"Yo, how much is it?" he asks. 

I turn over the tag on the bracelet and notice that the price isn't listed with a dollar sign. Instead, it's written in pen as a simple decimal number.

"Eleven point five," I mutter, memories flooding back to me. 

Marty steps over to see, smiling at the sight.

"Do you remember?" I ask quietly. 

"I could never forget," he replies.

He takes the bracelet out of my hands and sets it back down on the table, causing me to look up at him and notice his wide grin. 

"I wanna race," he says. 

I let out a laugh. "Oh, really?" 

He nods and points into the distance. "Last one to that stop sign buys lunch."

"Fine," I say. "Go!"

I take off past him and he bolts up behind me. We zip down the street toward the post, passing it almost simultaneously. 

"I won," I state.

"No you didn't," he argues between breaths. "It was a tie. If anything, I got here just barely before you."

"I believe I got here first," I correct, stepping toward him.

"Fine," he says, putting his hands up. "You won."

I cross my arms. "You're just saying that!"

"Buffy, why do you have to be so stubborn?" he says. 

I step up closer, our faces only inches apart, and glare up at him. 

"Because I wouldn't be me if I weren't stubborn, now would I?"

He doesn't respond, but his eyes flicker down to somewhere else on my face before matching my stare again. 

"No you wouldn't," he says. "And I like every part of you just the way you are."

He holds my eyes with his a little longer, softening my glare into a stare, and pretty soon I'm sucked into this moment with him, my heart beating faster than I thought was possible. I feel his hand touch mine and raise up beside us. Our palms come together and he folds his fingers through mine, interlocking our hands. Then he steps back and my pulse relaxes, my heart sinking a little at the same time. 

"You hungry?" he asks. "I think I saw a pizza place when we were driving in."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Guys, I know only, like, two people are reading this story, but I am freaking in love with where this is going, and I know you're going to love it too. I just have a lot to say. Don't go googling the town, because it's a fictional one that I made up due to my extreme lack of knowledge about Utah. Also, I have never seen a place like Utah before. Where I live, you can't turn a corner without either seeing a new coniferous tree or a deer crossing, so yeah. I'm trying my best at making accurate descriptions of landscape. Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Buffy's POV**

 

Cheese strings from my mouth when I take a bite of the pizza. Marty watches and laughs as I hurry to grab a napkin to clean it up. 

The restaurant is small but crowded, as I suppose it should be considering the sign on the door says it's the "world's best pizza." Marty sits across from me in the red-cushioned booth, and picks up another slice of the pepperoni pizza we ordered to share.

"I bet we're already ahead of everyone else in the class on our project," I say. 

"I bet nobody else has even started yet," he agrees. 

Suddenly, I get a text and pull my phone out to check it. 

 **Andi:**  Where are you? I thought we were meeting at The Spoon today.

I let out a small gasp of realization.

"What's is it?" Marty wonders. 

I shake my head. "Just Andi asking where I am."

 **Buffy:**  I'm home sick today. I forgot to tell you.

I don't want her to know I'm with Marty, because I know she's going to think too much into it.

 **Andi:**  Yeah, I'm with TJ and Cyrus right now, and they don't believe you either. 

 **Buffy:**  Okay, fine. I'm with a friend. 

 **Andi:**  What friend could make you forget about our plans today?

 **Andi** : Wait.

 **Andi:**  Is it Marty?

I stare at my phone for a second. 

Marty notices my hesitation to text back and asks, "Everything okay?" 

"Yeah, it's fine," I respond. 

 **Buffy:**  Yes, but it's nothing.

All of a sudden, I get a text from Cyrus in our group chat with the three of us.

 **Cyrus:**  YOU'RE WITH MARTY?!?!?

 **Andi:**  Cyrus is excited.

 **Buffy:**  I can tell.

 **Buffy:**  Look, it's just as friends. We're working on our photography project. 

 **Cyrus:**  Wait, so are you at his house or is he at yours?

 **Buffy:**  Neither.

 **Andi:**  What do you mean? Where are you?

 **Buffy:**  We're in Grisholm.

 **Cyrus:**  SWDEFDWSEREFSDXS

 **Andi:**  So you're on a romantic road trip with him? Do you think he still likes you?

 **Buffy:**  I have no idea.

 **Buffy:**  Look, I have to go.

 **Cyrus:**  You're telling us EVERYTHING when you get back.

 **Buffy:**  Yeah, okay. Bye. 

I slide my phone back into my purse and return to my lunch with Marty. 

"I'm paying," I state. 

"Okay," he responds. 

"You're not going to offer to pay instead?"

He grins and lets out a chuckle. "I know better than to argue with you."

I smile at that and pick up my slice of pizza to take another bite, his eyes still on me. 

_____________________________________

I get settled in the passenger seat again and wait for Marty to buckle up. 

"I need to get gas before we go," he says. 

The engine roars to life and the Jeep rolls out of the parking spot and onto the road. 

"What did you get from the craft fair?" he asks me. 

"Oh, yeah," I respond. "I got a bracelet. I'll show you."

I dig through my purse to pull out the small paper bag and open it. I unfold the tissue paper that protects the bracelet and see the dainty palm trees sparkle in the sun. Then I notice something else gleaming inside the paper bag and reach in to pull out the two silver promise rings from the vendor's table. I turn them to see the infinity symbol reflect yellow sunlight.  _She must've put these in here when I wasn't looking._

"What is it?" he asks.

Instantly, I tuck the rings back into the paper bag, not wanting Marty to notice them, and hold up the bracelet for him to see. After stopping at a stop sign, he quickly glances over at the item and smiles. 

"That's nice," he says. 

"Thanks. It reminds me of my grandparents."

"Your grandparents like palm trees?"

"They lived in California." I rub the smooth gemstone of one tree with my thumb. "I used to go there as a kid and they had these curtains with palms trees printed all over them. It was how I recognized the house through the window."

He glances over to smile at me before looking back to the road. 

"I like it when you smile," he says. 

That makes my smile even wider, giving me butterflies in my stomach. _I like how he makes me smile._

 

**Marty's POV**

 

We turn into a gas station and pull up to the pump right in front of the building. I yank the key out of the ignition and open the door. 

I'll just be a minute," I tell Buffy before getting out of the car. 

I untwist the cap on my gas tank and begin filling it up when Buffy strolls around to my side of the Jeep and leans her arm against its side. She watches me with a smile on her face as I squeeze the handle of the pump and wait for it to be filled. 

"It's weird seeing you driving," she says. 

"Weird?"

"Yeah, like, the last time I saw you you didn't even have your learner's permit. And your voice is different."

I smile. "You're not exactly the same either."

"How so?"

"Well, for one thing, you actually came close to beating me in that race."

She shoves my shoulder in response to my joke, and I laugh. 

"But you're still just as competitive," I add. "It's still part of who you are."

"And . . . you still get that."

She holds her gaze with mine until I feel the pressure on the handle release. I return the pump to its holder and close the cap on my gas tank. 

"I've got to pay," I explain as I start walking into the convenience store. 

"Right," she says. 

She follows behind me, going over to look around at the knick-knacks for sale while I go up to the counter. After I finish paying, I turn around to see her smiling wide with an ornament dangling from her fingers. It has three strings hanging down, one holding a small metal hummingbird, and the other two tied to tiny clear crystals at their ends. 

"If I got this for you, would you put it in your car?" she asks. 

"Why?" 

She grins wider and tilts her head. "So that you won't be able to drive anywhere without thinking of me."

"Yeah, and I'll remember how much you drive me crazy."

She rolls her eyes but joins in with my laughter. 

"Will you put it up or not?" she says. 

I smile at her. "Yeah, I think I will."

She looks satisfied with my answer and steps up to the counter to pay, while I watch the way her hair sways as she moves.  _I can't believe I've been living without this—without her._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've really been putting off everything else in my life to write this, because this just makes my heart cry. Anyway, thanks for reading. I love you all so much!!!!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Marty's POV**

 

Buffy stares at the ornament dangling from my rearview mirror, observing the way the sunlight splits into miniature rainbows as it passes through the crystals, painting the interior of the Jeep in colourful rays. 

"We're here," I say.

The trees around us diverge and open up to reveal a grassy shore. I keep driving even as the gravel road dissolves into dirt, slowing to a halt near the edge of the lake. 

"This isn't Shadyside," Buffy says.

"I took a little detour," I respond. 

She smiles and gets out of the car, meeting me around on my side. The wind blows her hair in every direction as she steps out toward the water and scans the land. The sun is just starting to go down, lighting up the girl in a fiery glow. 

She reaches into her purse and pulls out my camera to take a photo of the scene, then passes it to me and I string the device around my neck. 

"What does this place mean to you?" she asks.

"I like lakes," I reply. "Saw the sign while driving and decided to stop by."

She laughs and turns around to stare out at the water. I raise the viewfinder of my camera to my eye and capture the sunlight on her in this moment. 

"What are you doing?" she asks when she notices the lens pointed in her direction.

I smile and take another photo. "You look beautiful right now."

She giggles and spins around as I snap a few more shots. 

Then she comes over and reaches for the camera. "My turn to take some of you."

I lift the camera away from her grab, saying, "I'm not very photogenic."

"That's stupid," she responds as she puts her hand on my shoulder and jumps to swipe at the camera. 

We both laugh as she struggles to snatch it from me. I stumble backward to keep it away from her, but she continues to grab for it, causing us both to tumble over. She lands on top of me, her knees on either side of my torso, keeping her from falling entirely on me. My heart freezes for a moment as her eyes meet mine, and she takes the opportunity to steal the camera out of my hand which has gone weak due to how close she is to me right now. 

She grins as she stands up and holds the device to her eye.

"Smile," she says as the click of the camera sounds out. 

Then she walks up to me and reaches her hand out to help me up. Instead of standing, I pull her down, and she laughs as she drops into my arms. She quickly collects herself and sits down beside me, resting her head on my shoulder with my arm around her. 

"You smell nice," she says.

"What do I smell like?"

"I don't know," she mumbles. "Maybe pine."

"Like a car air freshener?" I joke.

"Not quite," she says with a laugh. "More like real pine. Have you been hugging trees?"

I chuckle and hold her tighter. 

After a while of talking about anything and everything that comes to our heads, the sun kisses the horizon, turning the sky a deep red, and Buffy falls asleep on my lap. I run my hands through her hair as I listen to her quiet breathing. 

"I love you," I whisper, even though I know she can't hear me. "I never stopped."

_____________________________________

The engine sputters out as I pull up against the curb. Buffy is curled up, asleep in the passenger seat. I hate to have to wake up her, so I get out of the car and open up her door, beginning to reach in to lift her out. But as my arm touches her back, her eyes flutter open and she looks at me. 

"You were  _not_  about to carry me in like a damsel in distress," she says. 

I grin and hold out my hand for her to grab as she gets out of the vehicle. 

"Same time tomorrow?" I ask. 

She smiles. "Yes."

Our hands separate and she walks up the steps to the door of her house. I wait there as she unlocks the handle and turns around to give me one more glance before entering her home. 

 

**Buffy's POV**

 

The second I step in, I hear a shout from the kitchen. 

"Where have you been?" my mom calls. "I've tried texting and calling you multiple times and you never picked up! I was worried sick!"

I check my phone and realize I have at least thirty notifications from Her. 

"I was at Cyrus' and lost track of time," I lie. "I didn't mean to ignore your messages."

"Well, that's not good enough! You can't go out all day and come back at 10:00 PM without telling me where you're going!"

"Mom—"

"Buffy, go to bed. And tomorrow you're grounded."

"Okay," I mutter as I start toward my room. 

When I get in, I close the door and go to lie on my bed, feeling mad at myself for missing all those texts. Now I won't be able to see Marty tomorrow. 

I take out my phone and text him to explain the situation.

 **Buffy:**  Hey, I can't go out anymore. I'm grounded tomorrow.

 **Marty From The Party:**  That sucks. 

 **Buffy:**  It's my fault for not checking my phone. My mom's mad at me for not telling her where I was all day. 

 **Marty From The Party:**  I should've made sure you got home earlier. I'm sorry. 

 **Buffy:**  It's fine. We'll just have to find a different day to work on the project.

It feels weird sending that last message. I'm so obviously not just seeing him to work on the project. 

 **Marty From The Party:**  Okay. Good night.

 **Buffy:**  Night.

I set my phone down on my bedside table and go over to my dresser to pull out a pair of pyjamas, my mind thinking about today.  _His arm was around me. He held my hand. We were so close. How did I ever think I could go through life without that?_

_______________________________________

The beep of my phone startles me out of my slumber and I flop over to see the message.

 **Marty From The Party:**  Look out your window.

I roll out of bed and trudge over to the glass. On the other side I see the headlights of Marty's Jeep shining from the street with him leaning against the door of the vehicle. He smiles when he sees me and comes up to my window, attempting to avoid stepping on any flowers as he does. I shove open the window and lean out to interrogate him.

"What are you doing here?" I question. 

"How was your sleep?" he asks.

"Fine, but what are you doing here?" I repeat. 

"You said you were grounded tomorrow."

"Yeah, so?"

"Your mom said nothing about tonight."

His grin makes my stomach twirl and I bite my lip as I think for a second. 

"Let me just get dressed," I say before tugging the curtains closed.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so the next chapter is going to be an absolutely wild one, and I'm super excited. Thank you so much for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Marty's POV**

 

She uses my hand as a brace as she climbs out the window, then slides it closed behind her. I rarely ever see her in dresses, but tonight the moonlight gleams off the flowing red fabric, which is covered up near the top by a jean jacket. 

"You got all dressed up for me?" I tease.

She rolls her eyes. "Sometimes I like looking pretty."

"Well, you don't have to try so hard to do that."

She smiles and I take her hand to escort her over to her seat in my Jeep before going around to take my own spot. A growl is released from the engine as I twist the key. 

"Where exactly are we going?" she asks me. 

I shrug. "I guess we'll find out when we get there."

She grins and steals the aux cord, blasting a country song called "It's Working" as I take my foot off the break. 

_____________________________________ 

As we depart the town, the sky becomes clearer and Buffy stares out the window at the navy dome speckled in stars above us. 

"You can't see this in Shadyside," she says.

"Well, let's not waste the chance," I respond. 

I turn off the highway, curling around to a small dirt road lined with trees on one side and an open field on the other. I pull over and shut off the engine before getting out of the car. Buffy exits as well and pushes the door shut. 

"What are you . . . ?" she starts, but her voice trails off as I climb up onto the hood on my Jeep.

I crawl over to her side of the vehicle and reach out my hand. She takes it with a smile and mounts the car. We both lie back on the hood, her snuggled up against me in my arm. My chin rests on top of her head as she gazes up at the sky. 

"I like this," she says. "Just you and me . . . and us."

She reaches for my hand and intertwines her fingers through mine before resting our linked limbs across her midriff. 

"I agree," I mutter.

Then she points up with her free hand. "Do you see that really big star?"

I spot the one she's seeing and reply, "Yeah."

"That's the one I used to wish on every night as a kid. Well, I guess not that exact one, but it looks about the same size."

I smile at the thought. "You made wishes on stars?"

"And other things like wish chips and eyelashes and basically anything else I could wish on."

"What did you wish for?"

She pauses before saying, "I'll tell you, but you can't laugh."

"I won't."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

She sighs. "I wished to be a fairy."

"That's cute," I respond, trying to contain my grin.

"You're laughing!" she says. 

"No, I'm not," I insist. 

"Didn't you ever want to be some magical creature when you were young?"

"Well, yeah," I admit. 

"Really? What?"

I rub my thumb against her palm to stall for a second before answering. "Have you ever seen Narnia? Or read it?"

"I watched it, yes."

"You know that half-goat-half-person thing?"

She gasps. "No way! You wanted to be that?"

"What can I say? I was obsessed with those books."

She laughs, the sound filling the silence and making me smile. 

"Can I ask you something?" I say. "How come you stopped calling me when I moved to Oregon?"

"I guess the same reason you stopped calling me," she responds. "It got . . ."

". . . too hard," we say in unison.

Then our quiet breathing takes over the night air.

All of a sudden, her phone rings and she sits up, reaching into her jacket pocket to answer the call. I listen to her side of the conversation as she speaks into her phone.

"Hello? No, mom, I'm fine. I—I'm sleeping over at Andi's. I know. I—I'll come home. Yeah, I get it. Okay."

She lowers the phone down from her ear, a worried expression on her face. 

"We need to go home," she orders. "Now."

She hurries to climb down off the hood and get back in the car, and I do the same. 

"Let's go," she says.

I start the car and step down on the gas, launching us forward toward the highway. I glance over at Buffy every once in a while as we drive in silence. She taps her finger against the base of the car window, and stares out at the land as we pass it.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"I will be once we get home!" she snaps, then turns back to the glass. 

I stay quiet and focus on the road, but our trip hits an unexpected obstacle about halfway through the journey home. I feel the car yanking me to the right and submit to the command, pulling over off the road and onto the grass. 

"Why are we stopping?" Buffy asks impatiently. 

"Calm down," I say. "We have a flat tire."

Her mouth falls open in shock and I climb out of the vehicle, going around to the open the trunk. She stomps over to me, not even trying to hide her anger. 

"We have a flat tire and you're telling me to calm down? Marty, my mom's been expecting me home for over half an hour now, and it definitely doesn't take that long to get home from Andi's! I'm going to be grounded for life!"

I pause in the middle of rooting through the trunk to look at her. 

"I'm sorry," I say," but it's not my fault. Will you just try to relax? I know how to fix this."

I lift out the spare tire and sit it down next to the popped one before jacking up the car, then grabbing the lug wrench and beginning to unscrew one of the lug nuts that holds the popped tire in place. 

"Why is it taking so long?" she groans. 

I ignore the question and continue my work, lifting the new tire into place. As I finish screwing the hub cap back into place, I reach down for the final lug nut, but it's not where I put it. 

"What's wrong?" she asks.

I scour the ground, feeling the grass for the missing piece.

"I lost a lug nut," I say. 

"You lost it?" she yells. "Marty, why are you so stupid?"

I look up at her. She's starting to tear up now, and her transparent stress makes it difficult for me even to be mad at her. 

Underneath the Jeep, I finally find the lug nut and hold it up to show her before starting to screw it into place. 

"Found it," I say. 

"Good!" she says. "Now let's get moving!"

I stand up, stopping her with my voice, saying, "You know you could apologize!"

"For what?" she snipes. 

"For calling me stupid!"

She rolls her eyes and turns around to start toward the car door.

I shake my head, saying angrily, "You still can't say sorry, can you?"

She stops in her tracks and whips back around. "You want me to say sorry? Fine!" she shouts, stepping up to me. "I'm sorry I ever spoke to you when you came back! I'm sorry I let you convince me to come out with you in the middle of the night! And I'm sorry I ever let myself fall in love with you again!" 

Her crying stops when she realizes what she just said. She stares at me, clearly unsure what to say next.

At that moment, I give in to the aching desire in my chest and bring my hands to her waist, demolishing the space left between us as I kiss her. Sparks rise inside of me as her lips connect with mine. She holds her hands on my chest, likely able to feel my drumming heart. When our contact divides, my eyes find hers.

"I'm sorry I didn't do that sooner," I whisper.

"You should be," she responds.

Then, without warning, she collides her mouth with mine again. I pull her body up against me, and she lets me dive further into our connection as she wraps her arms around my neck. Pretty soon, we're full-on making out on the side of the highway, and I wonder what it must be like to see this as one of the few drivers that zip by us on the road. 

She pulls away for a second to breathe and I take the chance to say, "I love you."

My lips return to hers and I feel my heart rate speed up again as the feeling between us flourishes. After another moment, she lets me go, and I can hear her quaking breath. 

"You already know I love you too," she whispers before kissing me again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is "It's Working" by James Barker Band, and it's fantastic. Wow. I love this. I hope you love this. Thank you for continuing to read this, because I love writing every second of it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Buffy's POV**  
  
  


I click through the photos we've taken so far on Marty's camera, starting with the one of the starry highway that he took before we continued homeward tonight, finishing with the very first one of the horizon over the cliff. Along the way, I notice some I didn't realize he took, like the one of me looking up in the ring of trees. A smile spreads across my face as I see the pictures of us by the lake and remember being with him in that moment.

"What are you smiling about?" he asks as he steers the Jeep around a bend.

"I'm just really happy right now," I reply. "You have to send me these photos."

"I will," he says.

I sigh. "Now I've got to go deal with my mom. I probably won't even be allowed out of the house to check the mail."

"I'm sorry," he apologizes. "You were right. I shouldn't have convinced you to come with me."

"No," I oppose. "I wanted to come. And I don't regret it. I'd rather be grounded for life—which is a very viable possibility at this point—than to be wondering what might've happened if I had gone with you."

"To think," he says, "if I hadn't gotten that flat tire, you never would've told me you loved me."

"And you wouldn't have kissed me," I add. "I should've slashed your tires yesterday. I could've sped things up."

We both laugh.

"Fate took care of that for you," he says.

"I think fate likes us."

"How could it not? We're so damn good together."

He reaches his hand out to squeeze mine before returning it to the steering wheel. The warmth fades at his release and I stare down at where he touched me.

"You know, we could take a little longer," I suggest. "I'm already late. We could pull over for a bit and continue what we were doing earlier."

He grins at the proposal, but has enough sense to turn it down, saying, "Your mom will already hate me for keeping you out this late. Any later and she might not let you see me again."

I sit back in my seat. "We can't let that happen," I say.

"No, we can't."

The car turns into my neighbourhood, and I begin to recognize the parked cars as we pass them.

"When you came back to Shadyside, did you expect to be with me again, or was this purely accidental?" I ask.

He thinks about it for a couple seconds before answering, "I didn't expect it, but I hoped. I kind of figured you'd have a boyfriend. What about you? What did you think when you saw me get off that bus?"

"I believe my exact words were 'Oh, crap.'"

He chuckles at that and turns the wheel to follow the curve in the road.

"I missed you," I say.

"I missed you too."

We turn onto my street and stop moving in front of my house. I unbuckle my seatbelt and glance over at the building before turning back to Marty and leaning over to kiss him one last time before leaving.

"I love you," I mutter.

He smiles. "That's sappy."

That earns him a light shove to the shoulder and he laughs.

"I love you too."

"Good," I say with a grin.

I pretty much have to force myself out of the car. My eyes stay on him until I have to look away to avoid tripping over the sidewalk on my way up to my house.

I carefully open the door, but my attempt to enter quietly is rendered useless when I see my mother waiting for me with an angry glare on the couch.

"Care to explain what took you so long?" she growls.

I push each of my shoes off with my feet and step over into the living room, my stomach knotted in fear.

"I took a detour on the way home from Andi's," I lie.

My mom tilts her head. "The car was still here," she retorts. "Do you expect me to believe you walked?"

"I—um—"

"Buffy, I saw you get dropped off by some boy," she cuts in. "I saw you kiss him. What have you two been doing?"

"We just hung out," I argue. "Nothing else."

"How long have you been seeing him? Have you been sneaking out every night like this?"

"No, Mom. I only started seeing him on Friday."

"Friday?" she shouts. "I have a problem with you blatantly disobeying me to go drive around at night with some boy you barely know!"

"Mom, I—"

"No. Buffy, you are grounded for the next week. You are to come home right after school. Understood?"

I nod, tears threatening to fall from my eyes as my parents stand up.

"Go to bed," she orders.

Then I break down, crashing into the cushioned chair behind me, tears streaming down my cheeks. My mother's expression changes from mad to concerned as she watches her daughter cry.

"It was Marty," I utter. "He came back and—and I just . . . I don't know."

My mom doesn't speak, so I continue to explain myself between sobs.

"It's like there's this magnetic force pulling me toward him, and I just can't break it. Like he owns the air, and if I get too far from him I'll suffocate. I know I'm supposed to be strong, and I should be able to control this, but I just can't!"

My mom kneels down in front of me and closes her hand around mine.

"Honey," she says in a soft voice, "there is nobody in this world strong enough to stop what you're feeling."

"I love him," I confess. "I don't know exactly when it happened or how—but I know I do."

Then she hugs me and the tears from my face drip down onto her shoulder.

"Am I still grounded?" I ask, hoping she's changed her mind.

"Oh, yeah," she confirms.

"Okay."  _It was worth a try._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a really short chapter, but I also think it's really sweet. Have a lovely day and thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**Marty's POV**

 

When I get inside, I notice a light on in the kitchen and walk in to see the shadow of my older sister, Courtney, cast upon the cupboards. She bites into a cookie and raises an eyebrow at me as I enter. 

"You're home late," she points out. "It's almost 5:00 AM."

"Please don't tell Mom and Dad," I say.

"I won't. I genuinely could not care less about what time you get home at. But I am curious as to where you were."

"I was out."

"Well, that part's obvious," she scoffs. 

"What about you?" I say. "Why are you home so late?"

"I'm not," she retorts. "I'm up early for work."

"Oh."

"You were out all day yesterday too," she states. "We literally got here, like, two days ago, so how could you already have friends to hang out with?"

I lean my arms on the opposite side of the kitchen island from where she stands.

"Contrary to what you seem to believe, people do like me."

"And who are these people?"

I pause before answering, "Do you remember Buffy?"

"Your girlfriend from middle school? You're seeing her again?"

"I never stopped thinking about her when we left," I admit. "And when we got back, I just really wanted to be with her again."

"And you succeeded?"

I grin and glance down at the countertop before looking back up and nodding. 

"Congrats," she says. "So exactly where were you?"

I reach for the camera hanging around my neck and turn on the preview of the photos to show her. 

"Working on a photography assignment," I reply. 

"That doesn't look like Shadyside."

"That's because it's not."

"You were driving out of town and you didn't tell Mom and Dad?"

"I'd appreciate if you wouldn't tell them either," I say. "And if they ask about my flat tire, I was just going to Denny's."

She smiles at that and takes the camera out of my hands, getting a closer look at the pictures. 

"She's grown a lot since I last saw her," she mentions. 

"Yeah," I say as I walk around the island to join her. "She has."

I look at one of the photos of her at the lake, where her hair was flying wild but she still looks beautiful as ever. 

"I'd say she's still the same on the inside, but I think she's even better."

Courtney glances up at me. "Do you still like her the way you used to?"

"Nah," I respond. "It's more." 

"More as in . . .?"

"I'm in love with her, Courtney. Everything about her is just . . . perfect. And I never wanna let her go again."

She smiles and gives me back the camera. "She's cool, so if you want to keep her, make sure she doesn't find out how lame you actually are," she teases. 

"Thanks," I say sarcastically. 

She takes another chomp out of the cookie she'd been eating, then says with a full mouth, "Turn off the lights when you're done in here."

Then she walks away, descending the stairs to the basement, and I reach for the light switch.

_____________________________________

**Buffy's POV**

 

Due to my current state of imprisonment, I'm stuck at home doing schoolwork in my room. As I write, I get a text from Andi.

 **Andi:**  Want to meet at The Spoon? You can tell us all about your trip with Marty.

 **Buffy:**  Actually, I'm kinda grounded. 

 **Andi:**  What did you do?

 **Buffy:**  It's a long story. 

 **Andi:**  Does it have anything to do with your spontaneous road trip?

 **Buffy:** Maybe a little bit.

All of a sudden, I get a call for an Instagram video-chat from our friend group chat. When I answer, Andi appears in her bedroom.

"Tell me everything," she orders. 

"Okay, fine. So yesterday was basically just us hanging out, but I got home late and got grounded for today."

"That's it?"

"And then he showed up around 2:00 AM and we went back out."

Then the screen splits again as Cyrus joins into the chat. 

"You went out with Marty at 2:00 in the morning?" he squawks. 

"So we drove out and we stopped on this side road and lay on the hood of his car to look at the stars," I go on. "And he had his arm around me and it was really nice."

"You and Mr. Party cuddling in the starlight," Andi states. "Adorable. Continue."

"And then my mom found out I snuck out and we had to leave. And then—" I twiddle my pencil in my fingers as I take a breath "—he kissed me."

Suddenly, unintelligible screaming cracks through the speaker of my phone, followed by another screen split as TJ enters the video-chat. 

"What's with all the screaming?" he questions. 

"Marty and Buffy kissed!" Cyrus answers. 

"How'd it happen?" Andi asks. "Tell us everything leading up to the moment."

"What moment?" comes Jonah's voice as joins in. 

"Marty and Buffy kissed!" Andi responds. 

"Okay," I say, cutting off their excitement with the continuation of my story. "So basically he got a flat tire and I got mad, and then we started fighting, and I told him I loved him, and then he kissed me."

"Wait!" Cyrus yells, "Hold up! You said you loved him?"

"Yes?"

More screaming, this time even louder than before. 

I finish by saying, "Yeah, so in conclusion, I can't go to The Spoon today."

"That's completely okay!" Cyrus says. "We understand!"

His enthusiasm makes me laugh as I say, "Okay. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

I leave the video-chat and put down my phone. Although I try to focus on my schoolwork, I can't contain my elation right now, and let it out in the form of a squeal. 

____________________________________

**Marty's POV**

 

As I get off the bus, I spot Buffy talking with her friends outside of the school. She smiles as I walk up and give her a kiss on the lips. 

"Eww," Andi says. "PDA alert."

Buffy and I separate and she raises her eyebrows at Andi. 

"Come on," she says. "TJ and Cyrus kiss all the time."

"Yeah, and it's just as rude to lonely people like me."

"Hey," Cyrus cuts in. "I think we're adorable."

"We are adorable," TJ agrees. 

Then he leans in to kiss Cyrus and Andi rolls her eyes. 

"I need to find a boyfriend," Andi states. 

Then Jonah notices something in the distance and says, "I'll be right back," before running off to talk to some girl. 

"Who's that?" I ask. 

"That's Libby," Andi explains. "Jonah dated her for a while in grade eight, and he just recently started liking her again."

"Well, I hope it works out," I say. 

"I think it has," TJ comments. 

We all turn to look at Jonah grinning wide as Libby giggles at something he signed. A few seconds later, he signs something else, then rushes back over to us. 

"What happened?" Buffy asks. 

"We're going to The Spoon after school," he says. 

"That's awesome! I'm so happy for you," Andi responds. 

At the end of her statement, the bell rings, and our group divides as we enter the school. After going to my locker then hers, Buffy takes my hand as we walk into our first class together. We sit down and she lets our arms drop apart, but I keep my eyes on her. 

"You can't stare at me during the whole class," she teases. "You'll miss important information."

I grin and turn in my seat to listen to Mr. Turner as he starts speaking. 

"Welcome back to Monday. I hope you have all at least started thinking about your projects."

Buffy and I share a glance, knowing we're already way ahead on this assignment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a slow chapter, yeah, but a necessary one. I love you all with all my heart!


	9. Chapter 9

**Buffy's POV**

 

"Buffy, can you grab those dishes and bring them over here?" 

My mother gestures to the dinner table, which still holds our dirty plates and glasses from supper. 

It's now Friday, so my week of being grounded is nearly over. I can't wait to be able to hang out with my friends again. I've been craving baby taters for days now.

"Here you go," I say as I sit the dishes down on the counter beside the sink. 

"Thank you."

All of a sudden, the doorbell rings and I walk over to answer it. Marty's smiling face stands on the other side, holding a daisy in one hand. 

"This is for you," he says. 

"Thanks." I take the flowers and twirl it between my fingers. "Is this from our garden?"

He grins and rubs the back of his neck. "I only thought of it when I got here."

I laugh and pull his hand to bring him into the house before closing the door behind him. 

"Hello, Marty," my mother calls out. 

"Hi, Mrs. Driscoll."

"You know my daughter is still grounded."

"I know, Mrs. Driscoll."

"Then what are you doing here?" she asks. 

I look at him, awaiting his answer. 

"Well, we've still got to finish that project," he says. 

I smile and turn around to my mother with longing eyes. "Can I go out? We do need to finish our photography assignment."

"Oh? What's your assignment?"

"We need to take photos of five different settings," I explain. "We have one more left."

She sighs, trying to conceal a smile. "Well, if it's for school, I suppose I should allow it."

I turn back to Marty and reach for his hands. 

"I'll be right back," I say.

I dash to my room and grab my purse and from its hook on the wall. On my way out, I notice a shimmer from my dresser and pause to look at the two silver promise rings laying there. I don't have any kind of plan, but the thought of these two tiny hoops have certainly been keeping me up at night.  _He's mine,_  I think.  _I want that to be forever._

The rings clink together as I slip them into a pocket inside my purse. 

____________________________________

We pull up against the curb in front of a house I don't recognize. 

"What are we doing?" I ask. 

Marty shuts off the car as he says, "I forgot my camera." Then he opens the car door and steps out. "Wanna come in?"

I exit the vehicle and follow him up the stone pathway to the pale blue building. The door is made of a dark wood with a stained-glass window to peek through. 

"Is this your new house?" I wonder. 

He nods. "Not as big as the old one, but—"

"I like it," I interrupt. "It's quaint."

"Glad to hear."

He opens the door, and I go in first, stepping onto the white tiles. 

"You can wait here," he says.

I nod and he starts off toward the stairwell. Curious to look around the new home, I slide off my shoes and step into the living room. Glass tables display family photos, and my attention is captured by one of a seven or eight year-old Marty hugging a soccer ball. Suddenly, I hear footsteps approaching, followed by a familiar voice. 

"Marty, have . . . Buffy?"

I spin around to see Courtney. She doesn't look much different from the last time I saw her, but she must be around twenty-two years old now. Her dark hair is the same colour as Marty's, but hers falls down in waves. 

"Hi," I say.

"How's life been?" she asks. 

"Pretty good," I reply. "How about you?"

"Good. I hear you and my brother are back together."

I don't bother to hold back my smile. "Yeah."

"Yeah, well, he really likes you," she says. "You won't mess with his heart, right?"

I let out a breath. "That'd be quite the risk to take, considering he owns mine."

Courtney smiles at me as Marty enters holding his camera. 

"Hey," he says. "What are you two talking about?"

Courtney comes over and swings her arm around around my shoulders. 

"Marty, this girl's a keeper. Don't let her get away."

I feel myself blush and look over at Marty to see that he's turning red too. Then he comes up and takes my hand as Courtney releases me. 

"Ready to go on an adventure?" he asks. 

"Always."

We wave goodbye to his sister before leaving back out to his car. The sunlight reflects off the gold paint, blinding me for a second as we approach it. We both get buckled in, and I plug my phone into the aux cord, then press play on Taylor Swift's "This Love."

Marty glances over at me. "No country music today?"

I shrug and lean my head back against the headrest. "This song just seemed right."

He smiles and shifts the automobile out of park. The little hummingbird dangling in front of the windshield veers with the car as we turn into the street. 

________________________________________

**Marty's POV**

 

"It's been nearly an hour and you haven't once asked where we're going," I mention. 

Buffy looks over at me from the passenger seat and responds, "I don't care where we go as long as you take me there."

I bite my lip, keeping my eyes on the road. I swear if anyone else said that I'd be running like the wind. Emotions never used to be something I was good at. But hearing that from her just sounds right. 

"We have our whole lives to go places together," I say. 

"Our whole lives," she repeats. "You've thought about that?"

"Well, yeah," I admit. "Buffy, I just found you again last week, but I can't imagine a future without you in it."

She smiles. "You don't have to. I'll always be here, as long as you can always put up with me."

"That's a pretty big challenge," I joke, "but I think I can beat it."

I glance over for a second to see her staring at me.  _There's nothing embarrassing about it. She can stare at me and know that I like it when she does. What we have is more than just a high school crush._

A few structures come into view, and Buffy turns her head to look at them, trying to the read the bright purple sign on the one we pull up and park in front of. 

"Elton Candy Store," she reads out. 

"World famous," I say. 

"If it's world famous then how come I've never heard of it."

"You don't pay attention?" I suggest.

"Hey!" she says, pretending to be offended.

"Well, maybe it's only famous in my world."

She rolls her eyes before getting out of the car. I go up ahead of her to hold open the door, but she stops at the doorway, then takes the handle from my grip.

"I'm not helpless," she says, then gestures for me to go in first. 

I chuckle as I enter, and she trails behind me. The walls are filled with vibrant coloured candy packages, and the floor is cluttered with shelves holding even more goodies. I lift up my camera and take a photo, then reach for Buffy's hand. 

"What do you want?" I ask as we stroll between the rows of shelves. 

She stops at the sight of a lollipop the size of her head and holds it up.

"Not this," she says with a laugh. 

After setting it back down, we continue looking through the candy, passing chocolates and gummies, and halting at a basket of sponge toffee. 

"I love sponge toffee!" she says.

"Didn't you once tell me that it pulls out your fillings?" I ask. 

"Only if I'm not careful. Plus it's worth a trip to the dentist." 

We both laugh, and I turn to look through a basket holding bags of flavoured popcorn, while she walks further down the row. 

"Hey, do you like ring pops?" she asks, causing me to look up.

"Yeah," I say as I go over to where she stands with her hands clasped together behind her back.

"Oh," she responds. "Then I guess you'll be disappointed."

I look at her, confused. "Why?"

"All I have is this promise ring."

Then she brings her hand out in front of her, showing a small silver ring. I feel my heart racing as I stare at the object, noticing the tiny infinity symbol carved into it. Her eyes watch me, awaiting a response. 

"Are you asking me to marry you?"

"Well, not yet, but someday."

"So this is like an engagement to be engaged."

"Basically, yeah," she says with a nervous breath. 

I grin and hold out my hand. Her eyes light up and a smile spreads across her face as she slides the ring onto my finger. Then she gives me a matching one for me to put on her. 

"So what was your plan if this didn't fit my finger?" I ask.

"Bold of you to assume I had a plan."

We laugh and I suddenly hear an "aww" sound from across the store. We turn to see the cashier staring at us.

"Oh, don't worry about me," she calls out. "Carry on."

I look back to Buffy who takes my hand in hers. The cool touch of the new accessory on her hand gives me butterflies. 

"I love you," she says. "I want to always love you."

"I think we can arrange that," I respond, stepping up closer to her and wrapping my arms around her waist. 

The funny thing about her kiss is it feels the same yet different—if that makes any sense. It's like going home again after a long time away. Every time her lips touch mine, it feels new, even though I know I've been there before. Being close to her doesn't get old or repetitive. She just gets better. And I can't wait to see just how much better she can get. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song choice was influenced by Suzana Silva on Youtube who makes really awesome Andi Mack edits to songs, so definitely check out her channel. She made a really amazing Muffy edit to that song https://youtu.be/0yg8zXb80V0 I don't know if you are able to copy and paste that or not, but that's the link to the video. Thank you so much for reading this story! I hope you liked it as much as I liked writing it! Have a lovely day!

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, I really like this. Also, I know nothing about Utah or Oregon or anywhere else in the US aside from Disney Parks, so I'm going to be making up fictional places in this story, so don't judge too hard. Just accept it. Thanks for reading. I hope you like the first chapter.


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